


Riptide

by Pinkwebby



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alive Cole Anderson, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Damaged Biocomponents (Detroit: Become Human), Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Thirium (Detroit: Become Human), mermaid au, mermaid connor, or at least I'm trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-30 21:29:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21435001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkwebby/pseuds/Pinkwebby
Summary: “For mermaids are the most unnatural of creatures and their hearts are empty of love.” -Imogen Hermes Gowar
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor
Comments: 18
Kudos: 38





	1. From the Sea-foam

**Author's Note:**

> Listen I know the title and quote are predictable and cheesy, but you can pry quotes and short titles out of my cold, dead hands.

### 

Chapter 1: From the Sea-foam 

When Cyberlife had become confident in making and perfecting androids, they started to dabble in other areas besides domesticity. They had perfected household androids and were currently developing forensic androids. With the RK series, they tried to make many variants. Ones that could help police in more ways than one.

There were a lot of murders that could never be solved due to the body of the victim never being found. The murderer could never be arrested because of lack of evidence, or there couldn’t find a murderer at all. The missing person was forever stuck in limbo, their families suffering for the rest of their lives. CyberLife, taking initiative, started a small, secret project to help with this. How many bodies were thrown in rivers and the ocean to destroy evidence? CyberLife’s immediate thought was to create an android.

Whoever was the leader of the project must have enjoyed movies such as The Little Mermaid and Aquamarine. A half-fish, half-human hybrid. Mermaids. There were probably many other options to create an android that performed well underwater. But they decided to make a prototype RK800, called an oceanic unit.

There were many years of research, as the thought of creating the oceanic unit came up early in the RK’s production. The unit wouldn’t need to breathe, which made it easier to build without synthetic lungs. It also had to have light casing so it could swim fast and be agile when dealing with underwater animals. But the casing also had to be thick to withstand deep ocean pressure and avoid getting water into its biocomponents. This proved difficult at first, but they eventually got it just about right.

The bottom half of the android, or the tail component had to be functional, which means it had to be made of light-weight material, even if it was more susceptible to damage. It also had to be appealing to the human eyes, not too bright so that it attracts predators. And there had to be something luminescent within it so it could be easily found if it got lost in the ocean.

There was the huge problem of how it could walk and talk with police out of water. This part took the longest, as there seemed to be no solution to how it could become a mermaid and then also integrate itself into society if needed. It should be able to change its bottom half to suit its needs.

Optical units should be able to clearly see underwater in any condition, day or night. Auditory processors should be able to detect sound underwater from a far distance and should be able to use echolocation. It should have powerful strength, but also be extremely agile, like any RK model. It would have everything a normal RK800 would have as well, down to the same body structure.

This left a very niche, mermaid android that could be used for finding bodies in any body of water it was presented with. And it could also help the police investigate murders if needed.

There was a reason only one was created. The project was shut down soon after they created the first prototype, as it proved ineffective to send an android to find bodies. Scavengers within the bodies of water would eat and destroy the human bodies, leaving no evidence to be found. And, other companies had come up with better technology to perform tasks that the oceanic unit could do in less time. CyberLife denied ever creating the android, they never even brought it to light. Barely anyone knew about it, the files destroyed or hidden away so only high-security personnel could access it. The only android created was also lost at sea on its second mission. It was sent out accidentally when a hurricane struck the coast it was investigating. 

The creation of the android was put under secure wraps, replaced with the new line of RK800s. The android was never found, presumably destroyed.

[Ś̸̨̡̫̩̞̲͖̞̤̜͍̠̬͚͕͍ͅt̶̡̨̧̨̳̠͖̖̣͔̹̰̲̱̦̲̲̲͖̼̳̤̫͍̿͐́̈́̾̊̋̑̓͆̔̊̀̑͑̀͒̅̆͑̆͘̚͜͝ͅą̵͎̝̯̣̪͓͖͉̱͎͉͔͎͚̘̆̆̿͊̆̀̿̏͝ͅr̷̢̢̢͖̣͙̳̼̠̜̹̜̣͉͔̺̭͚͔͔̪͕̳͕̘̗̫̼͚̮̞̆̿͜t̵̙̉͑͐̀̉̅̅̑̈́̋͆̌͐̈́́̾̽̄̏̈́͑̎̃͌̚̕ͅ-̴̢̪͙̯̥̼̭̳̞̭̂̌͊̍͐̀̌̈́̄͒͘ų̵̡̛̙̗͇̮̻̳̜̘̭̝̯͇̯̠̣̙̲̰̱̣̻̯̭͓̅͆̓͂̀͂͋͑̽̊͆͛̉̓͗͂̂̈́̊͆̇́̆͗̚͜͠͠ṗ̸̡̨̫̱͖̳̞̙̙̞̱̪͔̩̪̗̗̲̗̍̏̈̾͊̽̈͆͑̿͌̈́̀͂̍̽̚̚̚͘͝͝͠͝͝ͅ ̸̢̧̧̡̘̭͙͚̲̘̘͇͓̥͚̝͍̱͖͓͕̹͉͕͎̳̘̓̽̐͋̔̈́͐̑͆̈́̈́͊̿̓͝i̷̦̩̦̮͚͑̾̒̄̔ͅn̷̛̻͚͎̬̯̹̝̻͍̣͂͗̎̀͒͆̐́̒͐̾̔͒̍̽͒̅͌̿͒̈́̇͝i̸̧̡̡̢̦̜͔͈͎̭͕̣͇͓̳̋̉͌͗̈̀̓͆͆́̈̈́̐̇͜͝t̷̛̟͂̔͊̂̈́́̉͛͂̆̇́͊̉̊͗͐̀̀̈́̃̏̕̚͘͘͠͝͝͝i̵̧̛̳͍͓̻̭̝͓̮͚̗͉̭̟̭͕̫͕͇͎͛̾̀͑̔́̋̈́͑̓͗ͅͅa̸̧̡̪̳̝̤̗̙͉̜̖̥̋̑͛̔̉͐t̸̜͖͕̹͈̗̖͕̥͚̙͉̩̝̊̋͜ͅe̵̢̛̛͈̙̜̭̫̞̹͎̰̮̘̖͕͖̯̞̞̠̒̾͒̅͛̍͐͆̈́̓̀̓͂̄̄̂̊͛̑̎̓͗̾̍͆͘͜͜ͅͅd̷̨̛̤̖̦͚͉̰͙̥͖̤̏͂̓͂̀̓̑̃̈́͝͝͝ͅͅ]

[flkajbv6nvl?>1eivvnsla//2100114ag]

[D̵͔̱̣̯͝ḯ̶̜̖͈̲̅͌ą̴̡̗̮͙̯̯̱̗̒̐̾̂̈́̂̚g̷̡̛̟̬̦̻̔̈́͗̍̉͗͐͗̊̏̕͠n̷͎͓͍͔͙̟̱̱͔͉̋̈́͛͂͌̾̒̇̎̕̚̚o̶̧̝̮̬̖̱̯͕͖͋͌͛͘s̵͔̒͜ṯ̸̼͎̹̰̒̾͗̽̈́͛̾̒̀̈́̏̃ͅi̸̘͚͂͋̋̃̉̄̒͗͝c̷̢̡̯̱̐͐̑̎͒͂̒̏̽̕͘͠s̸̡̳̰͈̫͠ xc!&prfś̵̫̞͇̝͉̪͍͛͒̃̅̃̀͜t̷̟̱̑͂̎̏͘a̴̡̜̣͉͐͒̑̿̀̾̍͋̚͝͠r̴̤̪̮̝̪̹͍̰̽͌̄̈́̋͝t̵̞̦͛̈̊̎̔͛̉̃̂̉e̷̠̖̰͇̓̋̀͐͐̇̃̑̆̉͊͊͜͝ͅd̵̢̧̧̝̘͖̞̺̩̗͑͜omo936!gvcbf] 

[~- - =frqcso23B̴̬̳̟͊̏͘į̴̻̌̽ǫ̵̥͚̿c̸̻̯̈o̵̳̦̍̚m̶͈̲͖͆̈́̏p̸͍̫̅̊ő̴̙n̴̗̈́͊̃ę̶̰̈́n̷͓̐͝t̶̖̼͙̋̉ ̶̩̯͇̿̑#̵͍̪̀̽͊ͅ6̶̟̫̘͝3̸̟̭̜̀1̸͈̱̎͗̀2̵͎̙͉̋̋t̵̘̰͇͝ ̷͚̦̠̄c̸̠̆̓͜r̷̥̅î̴̡̮t̸̰̯͛i̴̱̪̣͆̀̌c̸̯̾̈́a̶͙͐̈́̄ḷ̵͓̿l̸̜͔̈́̿y̸̧̝̌̓͆ ̶̧̧̰̋̈ḍ̴̮̖̍̔a̴͓͂m̶̭̪̂̓͠a̷̬͈̋̾g̸̙̳̠͂̂ẽ̸̖̓ḍ̴̙̊̚xoa1L]

[O̶p̵t̶i̷c̵a̷l̸ ̶u̵n̶i̴t̶ ̷ deinmu!!.21hecm̸̘͓̙̹̼͇͋̈̍̈́̊̽ͅi̵͉͈̗̤͌̈́̐ͅs̴̛̰͕͉̥̳̿̈́̃s̸̺̪͖̅͐̾̆́̈ḯ̷͙̮̩̤̤͓n̴̮̝̰̯̞̋͆̃ͅg̴̟͕̾̋̽̕]

[P̴l̵o̴g̸e̵a̶s̵e̴ ̷r̴E̶e̵r̴!̴p̶o̸r̸t̶+̶+̷=̶?̷ ̶t̴o̵ ̸C̵y̷b̴E̵R̶@̸2̸0̵d̶l̸i̸f̴e̷ ̷f̶o̷r̸ ̶a̶s̶s̷i̴s̵t̴a̴n̷c̵e̸]

The android opened his eye and blinked a few times. Errors immediately filled his HUD, drowning out his fuzzy, black and white vision. His memory was corrupted, he was missing an optical unit and one of his limbs was critically damaged as well as something within him too. The temperature was below freezing, which left his joints stiff and brittle. Wherever he was, he needed to find somewhere warm within 42 minutes and 52 seconds. It took a few minutes of delayed processing to realize that he was underwater.

Mission parameters began to manifest within his task list. They were just simple tasks, ones that needed to be done as soon as possible. 

[Get to the surface]  
[R~+epojhbrt t0 CybErg2iLife]

The android pressed his tail against the seafloor, and he accidentally kicked up sand which clouded his vision more. His caudal fin was still in working order. So, he bared down on the ground with his good arm to push himself up. He wasn’t very mobile at all. He wasn’t sure the last time he’d been powered on, his diagnostics only returned gibberish. He needed to return to CyberLife for repairs.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly how far underwater he was, nor how he got in this current position. He was…a RK800 model, an oceanic unit. That was as far as he could remember before errors appeared that spouted out glitched code. Nonsense.

So, he outstretched his pectoral fins and swished his tail to gain a bit of momentum. He wasn’t built to swim straight up, usually he glided up using his fins and flippers for lifting him through the water. But, under the circumstances, he didn’t have a choice. It was top priority to get out of the water as soon as possible. His systems malfunctioned; more errors popped up on his screen. His fin mechanisms were overheating at the sudden exertion, and the joints would lock up in [a26qrmcghz?].

The android pushed himself harder, right until he broke the surface. Once his head was above water, he turned to look for city lights. Pensive moments passed as he glanced around for a notion that he was close to land. His GPS system was off kilter, as was everything. He couldn’t track his exact location. And it had started pouring down rain as soon as he hit the surface, which made it harder to see anything with only one optical unit. 

Finally, off in the distance, he could make out the twinkling of lights. If he could just make it there… He dived back underwater and began to smoothly glide towards the shore. He maneuvered his caudal fin up and down to propel him through the water as quick as possible. More errors appeared and he could physically feel the water heating up around his fin. The shore soon became close enough that he would have to stand. With his caudal fin malfunctioning and overheating, he questioned if his legs would work?

As he got close enough for his stomach to rub against the sandy floor, he began to change his appearance. It was a tedious process, nothing like changing hair or clothes. And it had been what he assumed was a long time since the last time he had transformed.

The adhesive that kept his legs together had been on far too long and his chassis threatened to crack as he began to pull them apart. But with a violent tug, they came apart with a muted crack. The liquid adhesive usually melted into the water, but it fell in clumps onto the ground and pulled further into the ocean by the rough undertow.

His legs worked even less than his caudal fin. They were like rubber bands as he tried to lift himself up. His synthetic skin wouldn’t extend down to his legs, which left them a blotchy mess of blue and white chassis. The saltwater around his legs bubbled and sizzled against his casing.

Up on wobbly legs, and with rain pounding down on him, he scanned the shore. He didn’t expect anyone, especially humans, to be out on the beach since it was raining this hard. Through the static and the rain though, the android could make out two figures that stood on the shore.

“Can you help me?!” He yelled out, his voice mechanical and void of any human inflection. He wrapped his arm around himself and began his slow trudge to shore.

~

Cole’s mother liked to go to the beach, and Ocean City was her favorite. It was her home, where she grew up, so it always had a sentimental value to her that Hank never understood. And when he mentioned this to his kid, Cole was adamant that they go to Ocean City. It was a ten-hour drive well spent. Clouds hung low in the sky, grey and threatening to spill over the land. Hank put the car in park above the beach, and he stared out over the ocean. It felt like fingers clutched at his heart as he looked at the stormy horizon. Vickie used to love it when it rained on the beach. Hank thought it was dangerous to be by the ocean when it thunder-stormed, but she didn’t see it. As he turned to his gaze to look at Cole, to see his eyes sparkle just like hers, his heart thumped loudly, and he broke out into a smile.

“You wanna go out there, son?” He asked fondly.

“Um…yes! But it might start raining…”

“I’m sure we’ll be alright. C’mon, I’ll race you down there!” Hank hopped out of the car, Cole hot on his heels. The man felt like a kid again, for just a moment. All thoughts of work, home, and bad memories dispersed into the salty air that whipped past him. Even if this place reminded him of Vickie, he could make new memories with Cole. The light of his life, the only reason he was still alive. The small, clambering boy behind him. The one he helped make, the only good thing in his life after…

Cole was already nine, the years felt like they flew past. They didn’t get moments like this often, with Hank at work constantly. Life wasn’t easy for either of them, but he wouldn’t give this up for the world. Wouldn’t give up his son for anything.

Hank stumbled in his sandals as he hit the sandy beach, and he slowed down to turn towards Cole. The young boy tottered down the last few steps and bounded up to his dad.

“You cheated!” He accused; voice breathy.

Hank doubled over to catch his breath. He wasn’t really in his prime anymore, but things like this didn’t come around very often. A chance to race with his son, fooling around as if he were just a child too. He wanted to play with his kid, even if it left him winded.

“Sorry bud. Next time I’ll give you a head start,” He teased as he pet Cole’s headful of blond curls.

“Next time I won’t need a head start! I’ll beat you without it!” He boasted as he grinned up at his dad.

“Is that a challenge? You know I’m a police officer, kiddo.”

Cole stuck out his tongue, before his eyes were drawn back to the sea. The waves rolled violently; it was probably a decent day to surf. Vickie always hated the thought of surfing, her sister nearly got killed trying to surf in weather like this.

“Dad, can we go down to the water?!” Cole asked, brimming with excitement. Hank hadn’t seen him this overjoyed in a long time.

“Yeah, sure. You have to hold my hand though,” He offered his large hand and Cole took it without hesitation. He tugged on his dad’s hand hard as they walked closer to the water’s edge.

“Did you and momma come here often?” Cole asked over the harsh wind.

“When we lived here, we did. Her family is a bunch of beach bums. They loved the beach and helped with a bunch of clean-up efforts here.”

Cole had slipped out of his boots while his dad talked, and he dipped his toes in the freezing water. With a squeal, he kicked the water up and splashed Hank across his chest and into his face. The man jerked back at the sudden cold and glared down at Cole.

“Don’t start a water fight, son. I'll win cause I have bigger hands,” He warned jokingly as he bent down to get a handful of water. Cole let out a scream and began to run down the shore with Hank chasing him down with a handful of cold water.

Soon after their little romp, the clouds finally exploded forth with rain. Cole had plopped down on the sand, once again out-of-breath. Hank stood beside him, his coat drenched and soaking through to his clothes. They couldn’t stay out for too much longer unless Cole and himself wanted to get sick on their mini vacation.

It must have been the rain; it was always the rain. It had been raining when they got the call about Vickie. Hank, of course, never thought about it when it rained. But it affected Cole a lot more, and as they stared out over the ocean silently, the happiness sapped out of them.

“Why doesn’t anyone from her family visit us?” Cole asked, his voice barely audible above the rain.

It was a sudden question, one that Hank hadn’t been expecting when he took Cole out to this beach. He had expected questions about his mom, sure. But not about her side of the family now that she was gone. Bitterness rose in his throat like bile and he couldn’t force himself to look down at Cole. Because it wasn’t fair, it never was. Hank had no family on his side, just cousins and second cousins, people that he barely knew now. But Vickie, she had such a large family, and they were so close-knit. Her parents were still alive, so were two out of her three siblings. And yet…they didn’t communicate with Hank nor Cole. Why? Hank’s uncanny ability to push people away to the point that they despise his very existence.

And because of that…Cole’s grandparents stopped sending gifts and cards, stopped inviting them over for weekend getaways and family reunions. Hank could barely remember what they looked like now, just fuzzy faces in the back of his memories. How could he explain that to his son and not have him hate his own dad? That Hank drove away his only other family because he was selfish and upset?

“I…I don’t know, kiddo. I’m sorry.” Hank’s voice was strained and even he could hear the unhappy note in his tone. As if he didn’t expect to talk about them someday when Cole was old enough. He just…didn’t want it to be right now. When this was supposed to be almost bittersweet.

“Can we go home?” Cole stood up, all his energy from before gone in an instant. They had driven ten hours here to enjoy themselves at the beach for a couple days, and now he wanted to go home. Hank must be the luckiest person in the world.

“Of course, kiddo,” He forced out before he tried to ruffle Cole’s hair. The child side-stepped him easily, and Hank retracted his hand like he had been burned. He shoved his hands in his pockets and huddled into his soaked coat. He didn’t wait for his son as he started back towards the small boardwalk they took down here. 

“Dad!” Cole’s panicked voice called, and Hank immediately whipped around. Did something happen? Shit, the waves were too brutal to leave a kid near them! How could he be so stupid!?

He jogged over to his son’s form, a small bit of relief ran over him as he realized his son looked relatively unharmed. But the look on his face had Hank glancing towards where he looked. It was raining pretty hard, and it was late evening, so it was hard to see anything. Maybe he just saw some dolphins or something; Hank squinted out at the ocean.

“Whatever it was is gone now, bud. We should go before you catch a cold,” Hank rumbled.

“No, no! Dad, look! There’s a person out there!” Cole furiously tugged on Hank’s arm; his voice full of alarm. Hank let out a sigh and turned back towards the ocean. He squinted harder, and he had to do a double take because he could see a silhouette out there.

“Holy shit.” Was the only thing Hank could croak out. He wasn’t sure what to do, because there was most certainly a person out there, their eyes couldn’t be playing tricks on them both. Were they in danger, or hurt? His police instincts kicked in as soon as the thought entered his head.

“We have to go and help them! They might be hurt!” Cole kept his hands firmly gripped on Hank’s jacket, as if he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Cole, it’s freezing out in that water! We would catch pneumonia doing that!” He hissed.

“-_help me!_ ” Were the only words Hank heard before he sprang into action. He grabbed Cole by both his shoulders and stared down at him hard, “Stay right here, do not go into the water. You hear me?”

Cole gave him a frightened nod and Hank pinched his son’s chin, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” He set back his shoulders and headed straight towards the ocean. The ocean was angry, waves rolled and crashed against the boardwalk close by and spritzed Hank’s face with saltwater. It was dangerous to be out here, probably more so for the person out in the deeper part. 

As they got closer to each other, the water sucking at his legs threatening to drag him under, Hank could make out…the steady blue glow of an LED. His stomach clenched and he slowed to a stop. It was an… android. Why was there an android out in the middle of the _fucking ocean?_

Now there was a decision to make, and it needed to be made quick. This was just an android, a machine that probably accidentally fell off a pier and its owner didn’t care. Hank could try to help it, but he would be risking his life for it. And if he got pulled under the water, Cole would be left all alone. He wouldn’t do that to his son. But…if he went back without helping the android, Cole would be angry, and he would leave a sentient being to die.

“God dammit,” He mumbled out with an annoyed tone, and began to slosh forward once again. The water lapped at his thighs as he finally approached the android. His hard eyes immediately began to take in the android’s face. It was not like an android he had seen before. Not that he ever owned one, but he couldn’t remember them looking this…human. There was always something machine-like with androids. Perfect skin, silky hair, glassy eyes that held no depth. But this one…he wasn’t sure what it was, but it unsettled him how human-like it appeared. Without the LED, he would’ve mistaken it for a human being.

Its hair was soaked, sticking against its skin just like Hank’s was. One dark eye met his and a weird shiver traveled down Hank’s spine. He shrugged it off as the cold that soaked through him though. Where the other eye should be was a gaping hole that was hard to look at. The android was also naked, much to the Lieutenant’s astonishment. It had its arm crossed over its chest and it was shaking. 

“Are you okay-“ He started to speak, but the android’s legs buckled and it stumbled a few paces right into him. “_Whoa_, okay. Jesus Christ. What are you doing out here?” Hank placed firm hands on the android’s arms to steady it and searched its face.

“I am a RK800…oceanic unit. I must…get back to CyberLife,” It droned out, and Hank flinched at the grating, mechanical tone it had. 

“The CyberLife headquarters are pretty far from here,” Hank huffed out as he let go of the android. That was a big mistake, apparently the thing couldn’t even hold itself up. Its legs gave out a few seconds later and it sank to the floor with a big splash. Hank shielded his eyes from the water before he gave the android an alarmed look.

“Shit, we need to get you out of the ocean. Here, take my hand.” Hank extended his hand out to the android, who looked up at him meekly. Hank was shaken at the way it gazed up at him but didn’t retract his hand. The android reached up and took it hesitantly. Its synthetic skin was soft, softer than any humans could ever be. But there was a hardness underneath, like plastic. 

He hauled the android up onto its feet, where it teetered like a kid’s toy. Hank hastily wrapped his arm around the android’s back and it automatically put its arm over his for support. It was a long and tedious walk back to the beach; the android was barely any help. Hank wondered if it was dragging its feet.

“Is he okay?!” Cole yelled out as they got closer to the shore. Hank glanced over at the android’s face with a worried look. It really didn’t look that good, but at least it wasn’t freezing out in the ocean. He wasn’t sure what would happen to an android that was cold for too long.

As they finally waded up to the shore, Cole blinked a few times as he realized the man he thought Hank saved was nothing more than an android. 

“We should get him somewhere warm, he must be freezing,” Cole said quickly as he moved over to the android’s other side to hoist it up further. Hank gave his son a surprised look, but it was warm. It seemed his son didn’t differentiate between android and human when they needed help. He was a better person than his father.

They headed straight for the car at a slug’s pace. Hank kept stealing glances at the android; its head was bowed, almost like it was passed out. But its LED circled a steady yellow, the only indication that it was still alive at all. 

“Let’s put it in the back seat, so it can lay down.” He said as they got up the stairs and approached the car. They shuffled up to his car and he unlocked it. Cole let go of the android and opened the back door for Hank. 

With a grunt, Hank practically lifted the android off its feet. It weighed a lot more than he thought it would, it felt like carrying lead. He ducked his head down into the car and set the android down on the seat. It kept its head bowed but folded its hands neatly in its lap. He squinted at it and realized that it indeed was shivering. 

“Here, get in the car Cole. I’ll be there in a second,” He tossed the keys to his son while he surveyed the android. It hadn’t moved an inch since he hauled it up here, hadn’t muttered a word of thanks or anything. And the way its legs looked…it was strange. Hank had never seen an android without skin, hell, he barely looked at androids besides casting a glance at a store window full of them. But he was sure that their casing didn’t look like this. So splotchy and…not perfect. A mix of blue and white that swirled in a mesmerizing pattern over its chassis. 

“I’m going to…uh, put your legs in the car,” Hank told the android awkwardly, before he reached out.

When his hands landed on the android’s knees, he yelped and recoiled immediately. “_Jesus_.” Its legs were hot to the touch, a lot more than what Hank was expecting. He rubbed his hands on his jeans before he tentatively reached out again. The heat was a lot, but not enough to burn Hank’s hands for the mere moments he gently lifted the android’s legs into the car. As he pulled back, he saw it turn its head away. Has it been watching him?

Hank left the car door open while he went around to the trunk. He popped it open and rummaged around in his suitcase. Once he found what he was looking over, he shut the trunk with an audible thud and came back around to the android. He wouldn’t do this for many people, and if his son wasn’t with him, he wouldn’t really do it for an android ever. But he couldn’t have a naked android in the back of his car.

“Here, dry off and put this on,” He ordered it gruffly as he tossed a towel in its lap as well as an article of clothing. Finally, fucking _finally_, the thing slowly lifted its head up to stare at Hank. Drops of rain ran down its skin, giving it a weird, shimmering effect. But it looked harrowing, with one eye missing and half of one of its arms. How did he not see that before? It looked terrible and Hank felt pity for it. Someone must’ve done that to it.

The android took its only hand and pathetically began trying to dry itself off. Hank grimaced at its piss poor attempt, realizing he did just tell it to dry off with only one hand. He let out sigh and crouched down next to it. He took the towel and began to dry off its torso silently. This poor android…now that Hank thought about it, guilt clawed at him. This thing had clearly been through the ringer and he almost left it to die in the sea.

It was still raining, but Hank could barely feel it as he grabbed the sweatshirt he had tossed at it and unfolded it. He bunched it up in his hands and slid it over the android’s head. It only had one and a half arms to put in the sleeves, but at least it would warm up quicker. Once it was dressed to the best of Hank’s ability, he nodded in satisfaction and stood up. He shut the door gently and moved to the driver’s door. 

Once he sat down in his leather seat, the cold from the rain really soaked all the way to his bones. He shivered and turned the heat on full blast. But he felt like he never get warm. Hank turned his gaze to Cole, who had taken off his boots, socks, and jacket. He looked soaked and cold as well. Hopefully they wouldn't get sick from this.

“Is he going to be okay?” Cole murmured, eyes flicking back to the android.

Hank lifted his gaze to his rear-view mirror to stare at the android. It looked outside the window idly, completely still like a statue.

“I’m not sure. It said it needed to go back to Cyberlife for repairs,” he explained, putting the car in reverse. 

“We should take him back home with us then!” Cole responded with a firm nod. Hank hit the brakes and turned to give his son an incredulous look, “What? We don’t know who this android belongs too! Son, it could be dangerous. We can just drop it off at a repair place around here.”

“Dad, he can’t do anything to us like that! It looks like someone hurt him. We can’t just leave him with some shady repairman in Ocean City. He has to come back to Detroit with us,” Cole protested as he crossed his arms.

“It isn’t ours. We can’t just take it!” Hank argued, though he was losing steam quick. There was something beautifully sorrowful about the android, and Hank was curious about it. It called itself an oceanic unit as well. He had never heard of something like that.

“Clearly the owner didn’t want him if he looks that bad!” Cole finally stated, to which Hank slumped in his seat. Of course, his son was right. The little kid always had such a good and innocent heart. He cared about so many things and people. And not many people deserved it…

“Alright, alright. You win, we’ll take it home with us,” He paused and turned his gaze back to the road, “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay longer at Ocean City, bud. I know you were excited about this vacation.”

“Don’t worry dad. I’m not excited anymore.”

Hank felt stricken at those words but couldn’t muster up the courage to reply. He dared to sneak another peek at the android, and felt like he should say something to it. Maybe words of reassurance? Tell it that it was safe now? It all felt hollow.

“Do you have a name?” He asked abruptly, and the android turned its head slightly to stare at Hank with its one eye. Its eyebrow furrowed, like it didn’t understand the question. Hank opened his mouth to say it again, but it spoke.

“My name is Connor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the tail explanation makes enough sense, I didn't want to make it seem like a magical transformation. I wanted it to be realistic and this is what I came up with. It will get explained in later chapters if it seems extremely confusing right now.


	2. Blue as the Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I had finals and all that. But it's a long one, just for everyone's wonderful patience!

### 

Chapter 2:

Hank didn’t want to spend 10 hours in a car with his 9-year-old and an android he knew next to nothing about. He was already super fucking nervous to take ‘Connor’ all way to Detroit. If it wasn’t for Cole, Hank would’ve kicked its ass out of the car somewhere in Ocean City. They only knew its name and model. That was not enough to trust it.

And RK800 was a model he hadn’t heard of. But then again Hank wasn’t exactly an expert on androids. He knew household androids decently though and unless RK800 was some sort of new household prototype, Hank basically had no idea about its purpose. Or if it had an owner. It didn’t say it needed to go back to its owner, which means it either didn’t have one or it couldn’t remember. That begged the question that if it didn’t have an owner, why was it out in the ocean?

If it did have an owner though, Hank would be obligated to find its them. At least to make sure they didn’t purposely lose their android. He knew that Cole would hate him for it, because the child wouldn’t want to return Connor to someone who left him to ‘die’ in the ocean. But he was a police officer and he had a duty of sorts.

“Do we have to stop?” Cole whined as Hank absent-mindedly parked the car. The tone of his voice jostled the lieutenant from his daze. He let out a tired grin, “Why you wanna get back so badly?”

“To make sure Connor is okay, dad!” He exclaimed and looked at him like Hank just asked the stupidest question in the world.

Hank eyed his son silently, contemplating his next words carefully. Cole had only met the android for around five minutes, and he seemed to already be invested in its well-being. Hank wasn’t sure if it was because he was just a child or if he felt bad for Connor. It was endearing in a childish, naïve way. But as a parent, he was worried. He didn’t want Cole to become attached to an android. Because they weren’t keeping it.

“I didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel, kiddo. I’m exhausted.” The excuse was decent enough, at least by his own standards. Cole nodded in understanding and he turned around in his seat to smile at the android.

“Don’t worry Connor! We’ll get to Detroit soon enough!”

Hank’s eyes darted up to the rear-view mirror to look at the android. Connor looked like a damn statue made by Michelangelo himself. Its eye stared out the window while its hand, half-covered by the huge sweatshirt sleeve, sat neatly in its lap. Its hair had dried completely and was a curly mess on top of its head, a couple of loose ringlets fell onto his forehead. It looked like a model about to get their picture taken.

Hank half-expected Connor not to answer. The android hadn’t spoken a word during their five-hour drive at all. But when Cole directed his words towards it, it turned its head slightly to regard Cole with its good eye.

“Thank you…” It started, voice still covered in static, “but do not worry about me.” Cole beamed at Connor; glad it spoke back to him. Hank let out a small sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. This was going to be a long night.

“I’ll rent us a room with two beds. Cole and I can sleep together,” Hank thought out loud.

“There is no need. I do not sleep, and even if I could my legs are not working at full capacity. Hence, I would not be able to walk inside. It would be the most logical option to leave me in the car.”

It was bewildering to hear Connor speak so much after so long of it just sitting silently. It kind of sounded like one of those old radio hosts mingled with those AI voices from old cell phones. It was harsh, mechanical, and lacked any emotional tone a human voice would. But its words did not settle well with Hank. In his prolonged silence, Cole had reached over to grip his dad’s arm.

“No, we aren’t going to leave you in the car like some fucking jacket. I will…figure something out.”

“Lieutenant Anderson, I am only a machine. There will not be any ill-effect on me if you leave me in the car. I will merely go into stasis to reserve power until you come back in the morning,” It said this in a clipped tone, like it couldn’t stand it hear its own voice.

“How do you know who I am?” Hank growled out, and he finally turned around to face it.

“Facial recognition. When you were close to me, I was able to scan your face with my working optical unit. You are a police lieutenant from Detroit.”

This unnerved Hank and so he undid his seat-belt to get out of the car. “C’mon Cole. Let’s go and rent a room for tonight.”

“But I want to stay with Connor!” He exclaimed with a pout. Hank turned his head to give his son a stern look. There was no way in hell he would willingly leave his only child in here with an android he barely knew. He wouldn’t leave his kid with any android period.

“No way, let’s go,” Hank didn’t give him a chance to argue as he got out of the car and slammed the door. He turned his gaze to the car to make sure Cole indeed got out before he marched towards the motel. Connor’s words had really gone and messed with his head. It was probably right; it could stay out in the car all night without complaint. And it sort of felt okay because it was really just a robot. But staring at the android’s face while it spoke made him question his judgement. And the way it knew his name and rank…made him even more keen to keep it as far away as possible. But guilt clawed at him insistently.

“We’re not gonna leave him in the car, are we?” Cole’s worried voice piped up behind Hank as he opened the door to the motel lobby. Once they were both inside, it became glaringly obvious that this place was anti-android. Hank hadn’t noticed one of those signs prohibiting androids on the door but then again, he was otherwise preoccupied with his own thoughts and worries.

“I don’t know, Cole. If he can’t walk…” Hank glanced at the sticker on the desk. It read, ‘_An android stole my job. How long until it steals yours?_’. He snorted and turned his head up slightly to see the blaring red sign behind the counter that said the place was android-free. Hank clenched his fist against the wood of the counter. That was _definitely_ going to be a problem.

“Hey man, what can I do for you?” A teenager poked his head out of a back door. 

“I need a room for tonight, two queen-sized beds if possible.”

“Sorry sir, we only have one bed, queen-sized rooms right now,” He replied, voice thick from the gum he chewed on.

Hank let out a growl, “This place is fucking empty! How could you only have one room?”

The teen glanced at the door he just came out through and shrugged his shoulders, “Bosses orders. I couldn’t tell you why.”

Hank gritted his teeth, but he wasn’t going to argue with the kid anymore. Not in front of Cole. Hank wanted nothing more than to give the manager and his little lackey a piece of his mind.

“There’s three of us though,” Cole protested, the top of his head barely poked over the counter. He got on his tiptoes to stare at the employee. The teen let out a breath from his nose, “Sorry, I really can’t do anything for ya.”

Hank pulled out his wallet, “What’s the total?”

Once he paid and got a key, he ushered Cole back outside towards the car. A light drizzle had started, and it just made Hank feel more miserable. 

“I don’t understand! I told him that Connor was with us and he still wouldn’t give us a bigger room!”

Hank’s shoulders slumped. This was his own fault. He hadn’t taught Cole a single thing about androids. They never owned one and his son was never curious about them in the first place. Hank didn’t like to talk about them, so how was he supposed to explain about android prejudice? It was clear the owner saw them pull in with Connor and decided to make them pay a lot of money for this one room.

“Well…they don’t really like androids. So, they…decided that we don’t deserve a better room.”

“That isn’t fair! Connor is hurt and he needs a bed to rest on! Why don’t they like androids?!”

Hank knew what his son really asked. Why do they hate Connor? He opened and closed his mouth as he floundered for an answer. He really hadn’t expected to give a lesson on a moral dilemma today. Much less with his son.

“I don’t-“ He squinted at the car and his eyes immediately widened. Hank lurched forward until he was practically sprinting towards the car. Connor had somehow gotten out of the car without help, both of its hands were pressed against the metal of the car. Its legs trembled violently, and the android had its head ducked.

“Are you okay?!” Cole cried out in worry as they approached.

“I did not want to worry you. And since you preferred to not have me stay in the car-“

“You said your legs weren’t working! What if you damage them more?” Hank hissed as he crossed his arms.

“…I knew the risk, lieutenant.”

Hank gaped at it. He thought androids were ten times smarter than humans. Why would it try to get out of the car if its legs were already messed up?! Where was the logic in that? If Cole had a broken leg, Hank would be an absolute mess and even his son would know not to step on that leg. So, why did Connor get up?

“We should get him inside!” Cole broke the tense silence first as he stepped forward to help. Hank shot his arm out to stop his son and handed him the room key. “Go inside, I’ll help Connor.”

Cole gave him a hurt look, but Hank crossed his arms and left no room for argument. Cole took a tentative step back before he turned tail and ran across the parking lot. Luckily the door was right across the so Hank could watch Cole open the door. The kid stood in the doorway, and Hank knew that he wouldn’t take his eyes off them.

“Connor-“ Hank blew out a sigh, “there’s no point in hurting yourself just to please us. I could’ve gotten you in the motel room somehow.”

“That won’t be necessary, lieutenant. I can—I-“ Static drowned out its voice and Hank winced. His annoyance melted away and pity replaced it. 

“Save it. You can’t walk and I’m not gonna leave you out here. So, take it easy and let me handle it,” Hank stated firmly. Though that was easier said than done. He had to figure out soon how he was going to pick up this android and take it inside.

Connor turned his head slightly to look at him over its shoulder, its bad eye blocked from view. It didn’t say anything, its back heaving. Hank stared at the android and tried to figure out the best way to do this. It was going to be a tedious task; Hank wasn’t exactly the strongest man in the world. If he tried to do like he did at the ocean, he would basically drag Connor inside. Which might be too hard and if the android tried to walk with him, it might damage itself more. He needed to take it inside without it moving at all.

“I’m going to carry you. I-is that alright?” Hank asked as he stepped forward.

“If you must. My legs will stop functioning in—” its voice went out again. And even then, its voice was barely understandable when it wasn’t just static noise.

Of course, Hank started to panic at those words. Connor sounded awful, and Hank wasn’t sure how much time he had before his legs would just give out. How much damage did he sustain? Fucking androids!

He hastily moved closer to Connor; his chest bumped against its smaller back. Hank pressed his hand to its back so it would release its hold on his car. There was no hesitation as it turned into his hand. Hank was certain it had more to do with the fact that it was an android than it blindly trusting him. But it still left a nice feeling within him. Hank dipped down and placed his free hand on the back of Connor’s knees. It was hot to the touch still and he tried not to recoil. With a grunt, Hank lifted the android up into his arms bridal style. There was no resistance from Connor, though its body was taut.

Connor was heavier than it looked, much heavier. Hank straightened up and had to stand for a good minute before he could move. He couldn’t pick up his 9-year-old son anymore without something aching in his back later. And his muscles protested in agony at the sudden weight placed on them. He let out another grunt.

“Lieutenant, if I am too heavy-“

“Shut up!” Hank snapped as he took a step forward. Connor had been stiff in his arms when it was picked up, which made it even more difficult to walk. But it must’ve noticed so it visibly relaxed. Hank shifted the android in his arms slightly and Connor’s head thudded against Hank’s chest.

Without realizing it, Hank’s eyes wandered down to Connor. It hadn’t moved its head, its cheek pressed against the leather of Hank’s jacket. It had its good hand folded in its lap and its eye trained on Hank’s face. He swallowed as he stared into Connor’s brown eye. He hadn’t known what color its eye was, but being so close now…brown definitely suited it.

The android was warm, even without his legs being so hot. Hank had always thought androids would be cool to the touch, being that they were made of plastic. But it felt like Hank carried another human being in his arms. He could feel it breathing against his hand on its back. It was amazing what technology could do. And frightening.

Hank stepped over the threshold of the motel room, and warm air instantly rushed over him. “Turn on the lights for me, kiddo.” Once Cole had turned on the lamp on the nightstand, Hank waddled over to the bed and leaned down. He put Connor’s butt down on the mattress and made sure his legs sat straight.

Connor swayed, and the motion looked extremely human-like. It actually looked like it was about to pass out. Hank reached out instinctively to steady it by placing his hands on its shoulders. The android turned its eye up to Hank with a dazed expression.

“Connor?” Came Cole’s worried voice and Hank snatched his hands away as the boy approached. The android slowly turned his good eye towards Cole. “Are you okay?”

Hank never thought he would see or hear an android hesitate. They didn’t have a reason too, at least in his mind. They were overly intelligent, much more than humans. There was no room for them to doubt their own words. And Cole’s question wasn’t a complicated one, it could be answered with a simple yes or no. But Connor didn’t answer immediately. It could be because it was damaged, but Hank truly doubted that. It was almost as if he struggled to come up with its own words.

“Yes, I am fine. There is no need to worry,” Connor repeated its earlier words, as if that’s the only sentence it could think of. Its voice was barely recognizable under all the static in its voice. Cole stared at it with horror and Hank knew he had to step in before his son became frightened even more.

“Cole, why don’t you go and shower? I’ll order us some pizza.” Hank moved in front of Connor to usher the kid towards the bathroom. He looked rattled, rightfully so. It was hard to hear the android like that; it was as if he was falling apart from the inside out. Once Cole was in the shower, Hank cautiously approached the android sitting on the bed. He crossed his arms and watched Connor silently.

He spoke up after a moment, “You’re terrible at lying.” At those words Connor lifted its head to stare at him. With a start, Hank noticed that Connor had its bad eye turned away. Was it purposely trying to hide it? Has it been doing that the whole time?

“I did not want to frighten-“ its voice ended in nothing but fuzzy noise. Hank shivered at that and crossed his arms tighter over his chest, “What’s happening to you? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Hank hadn’t ever really felt sympathy for androids. Ever since Vickie died, he steered clear of them. He could admit that he’s walked by as people beat the shit out of an android. But this felt…different. It felt more personal. He had found this android, and he decided to put it in his car and get it help. Even though he knew nothing about Connor, Hank felt guilt and concern for it. He was worried it might die before they got to Detroit.

“-thirium.”

“Thirium?” Hank tilted his head because he had heard that name somewhere before. But he couldn’t quite place it.

“Blue…blood,” Connor ground out and each word sounded like metal grinding against metal. Hank’s eyes widened and he pulled out his phone, “shit, shit, shit.”

“Dad is everything alright?” Cole came out of the bathroom in a fresh pair of clothes. He snuck a peek over at Connor, but Cole was clearly scared to look at him.

“We have to go and get something for Connor. It won’t take long, I promise,” Hank said as he searched for something on his phone.

“Will it help him feel better?”

Hank straightened up and shoved his phone in his pocket, “hopefully.”

“Then we have to go!” Cole squared his shoulders with a firm nod. Hank smiled softly at his son’s eagerness. He ruffled the boy’s wet hair and nodded, before he tossed a worried look towards Connor, “Connor, you stay there. Don’t move at all. We’ll be back shortly.”

Connor didn’t make a sound, only nodded its head. And with that, Hank and Cole left.

~

There was only one shop open this late, and only because there were androids selling the other androids.

“Hello there, how can I assist you today?” An android met them at the door with a bright smile and hands behind its back. The smile looked eerie and hollow to Hank. Especially given why Hank was here.

“I need blue blood,” he gasped out as he glanced around the store. There wasn’t a human in sight. Great.

The android’s smile doesn’t change, its hands don’t even move, it doesn’t even blink. Hank stared it down, though he felt unnerved.

“I’m sorry sir, we do not sell thirium to the public,” and with that it turned and went back to where it stood behind the counter. “Please let me know if I can help you with anything else.”

Hank clenched his jaw and glanced over at Cole. He hadn’t been paying attention, his eyes drawn to the newer androids that spun on display. Hank took a deep breath and marched over to where the android had placed itself.

“Sir, do you need help with something?” It asked as its dull, green eyes focused on him again.

“You repair androids here, right?” He asked, and he tried to keep his voice calm and even. “Yes sir. We are a branch of CyberLife. We have the best technicians-“

“Yeah, yeah. That’s cool and all,” the android tilted its head ever-so-slightly, “I need fucking blue blood!”

“We don’t sell it cause kids use it to try and make red ice. Though you don’t look like some druggie to me,” Came a voice to his left.

Hank let out a huge, audible sigh and turned his head to the human. He was short and slender with curly brown hair on top of his head. He couldn’t be more than 25 years old.

“I don’t think so,” Hank scoffed as he leaned against the counter.

“So why doya need it then? You break an android?”

“Um…sort of. It got hit by a car,” he lied and shifted on his feet.

“Yeesh dude, gotta be careful with those things. These buckets of bolts can be damaged so easy,” he stepped forward with a grin, “I’m Amal, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Hank Anderson,” he replied as he tried to keep his voice even. He didn’t want to lie to this man, but given the circumstances he might not have a choice.

“So, you didn’t…want to bring it in for repairs? Are you an android technician as well?” Amal asked casually as he moved over to where the sales android stood. He looked it over with squinted eyes.

“Well no. But I thought it would be better to take him back home to Detroit with us,” He stated, his eyes focused on a stationary android off to the left.

“You sure it’s gonna last that long? How much damage did it sustain?”

Hank worried his bottom lip as he turned his eyes back to the repairman. He didn’t know the extent of the damage Connor had taken, but it looked on the brink of shutdown when they left. And even if it didn’t want to see anyone outside of CyberLife, it would behoove Hank to take initiative himself.

“I don’t know. I’m worried,” Hank finally admitted.

“It didn’t tell you what was damaged? Shit, that does sound bad,” Amal rubbed his chin and glanced at the backdoor he came from, “Listen, I was working on some old lady’s bot because her cat ‘attacked’ it. But yours sounds a lot worse. I usually don’t do house calls, but if it’s as bad as it sounds, that thing won’t make it to Detroit.”

Hank heard a gasp and both adults swiveled their heads to look at Cole. He looked horrified. Which means he heard what Amal had said. He ran forward and buried his face into Hank’s shirt. The lieutenant let out an ‘oomph’ and placed a comforting hand on top of the child’s head.

Amal gave him a sympathetic expression, but he didn’t get to explain anything because Cole tugged on his shirt, “we can’t let Connor die! Dad, we have to help him!”

Hank let out a sigh and pushed Cole back slightly, so they were staring at one another, “Don’t worry. We won’t let Connor die, I promise.”

“I’ll grab my things,” Amal winked, before he left Hank and his son alone. The android that stood at the counter smiled pleasantly at Hank while he comforted his son, “please let me know if you need any more help.”

Hank had Amal follow him back to the motel in a separate car. As he drove, he could hear Cole sniffling in the seat next to him. But he had no idea what to say to make him feel better. His reassurances had fell on deaf ears. He himself grew more and more worried the closer they got. First and foremost, if Amal found out that Connor wasn’t his, he could call the cops on him. Maybe even accuse him of damaging someone else’s android. Even as a lieutenant, he was afraid of the police. Because he had Cole with him.

And Connor could have shut down while they were gone, and he was in a panic that maybe they took too long. Meanwhile, they currently stayed at a motel that had an anti-android owner. Hank didn’t want them to get kicked out. Or worse.

He parked his car and checked his phone. It was 1:42AM right now. He was exhausted and Cole probably was too. Hank would have to force his son to go to bed while Amal worked. He didn’t want to make Cole sleep in the bathtub, but if they couldn’t move Connor…

“Nice place,” Amal commented dryly as he got out of his car with a large backpack on his shoulders.

Hank didn’t bother to comment back, his nerves were too fried to have a witty conversation with him. He waited for Cole to join him before he took his hand gently and led them both to the room. He was on-edge as he unlocked the door. He wasn’t sure what they would find when they got in. Connor dead on the bed? What if he really did shut down while they were gone?

His fears came to life as he entered the room first and saw Connor lying flat on his back. Hank’s hand tightened on Cole’s because he could feel the kid tense up next to him. “Go sit down in the bathroom, Cole. _Now_.”

The child didn’t move an inch, as if he was frozen in place. Hank turned towards him before he crouched down to grab Cole’s attention. He placed firm hands on his tiny shoulders and pulled him into a bear hug, “it’s okay, honey. We need to let Amal work. So, go and sit in the bathroom. For me. I’ll be right behind you, promise.”

Cole pulled back after a moment and wiped at his tear-stained cheek. He nodded; his bottom lip trembled as he looked up at Hank with watery eyes. Hank nodded back while he wiped away a stray tear. Without another word, Cole turned tail and ran to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut behind him, as if he couldn’t even bare to see them. Hank let out another sigh and stood up to let Amal in.

“Seems like he’s pretty attached to your android,” Amal stated as he approached Connor on the bed. Hank followed him closely and stared down at the android.

“Yea…” Hank forced out, unable to stare at Connor for too long without feeling sick to his stomach. He really did look dead. Even his eye looked glassy.

“Lieutenant…you’re back…” Connor’s drowned out voice rose. Hank gave him a startled, but relieved look, “Connor! Jesus Christ, you had us worried! I thought you were—dead.”

Amal hastily set his bag down on the bed and his eyes were instantly drawn to Connor’s legs. His eyebrows furrowed and he gave Hank a puzzled expression. There was no way Hank was going to lie through this, so he simply shrugged his shoulders at the man.

“-I cannot die, Lieutenant. I am a…machine.”

Hank let out a huff and crossed his arms. Of course, it would mention that at a time like this. The android was on the verge of dying and all it could think about was to correct Hank.

“Hey, um…Connor. I’m Amal. I’m gonna need you to not speak anymore. I’m gonna check you over so we can figure out what’s wrong,” Amal butted in with a gentle yet awkward tone.

The android did as he was told, and Amal began to survey it. He lightly tugged the loose-fitting sweatshirt over Connor’s head, which left him naked. Hank turned away to grab a chair. And so he didn't have to watch. It felt strange and wrong to have an android laying naked in front of him. He felt bad. Even if Connor didn’t seem to mind himself.

“Holy shit,” Amal muttered to himself as Hank plopped down into a chair and rubbed his forehead, “Missing an arm and an optical unit. Water damage on the elbow socket, not sure if it’s functional anymore…”

Amal’s muttering did nothing to placate Hank’s worries. It made him feel worse, even if none of this was his fault. Connor really was broken, and it made Hank feel…miserable. How long had Connor been like this, stuck in the ocean, damaged, without any help? Left in the sea, never to be found. It sounded…inherently cruel. Even for an android.

“His vocal module is barely functioning to save power. I wonder if there’s something inside that is damaged as well. Can you state your model for me?” He questioned curiously as his eyes once again ran down to Connor’s legs.

“RK800—oceanic unit.”

Amal perked up at visibly at the words, “a police android? Wow, I’ve never seen one before!” His fingers ghosted over what looked like an indent on Connor’s chest. “Can I look at your legs?”

The android barely nodded before Amal ducked down to kneel at Connor’s legs. Hank started to get irritated, Connor looked like it was on the brink of death and this man was more curious about its model than actually fixing the major issues. “Can you at least give it the blue blood?” Hank snapped out from where he sat.

Amal’s eyes widened and he nodded sheepishly, “Shit, sorry Mr. Anderson. Sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself when I meet a new model I haven’t tinkered with.” He unzipped his bag and pulled out a plastic bottle with blue liquid in it. “Alright Connor let’s get you sitting up so you can drink. This might help with some of your errors.” 

Amal tugged on the android’s good arm and with a grunt got it into a sitting position. Connor looked rather dazed and almost confused as it stared at Amal. Hank watched on the side in apprehension as Amal gave the thirium to Connor. It glanced down at it, before it brought the bottle to its lips. Connor chugged it all down within seconds while Amal dipped back down to fiddle with its legs.

“Be careful, Amal. His legs are-“ Before Hank could totally warn him, Amal placed a hand on Connor’s calf. He let out a yelp and stared down at his own hand, “Yikes, that’s hot. Damn, why are his legs overheating like that?”

“I over-exerted my systems after being powered down for a while,” Connor told him. Hank felt relief at the sound, Connor sounded almost normal, only a tinge of static coating its voice.

“’A while’? Can you not recall how long you were powered down for?” Amal asked in a baffled tone.

“My memory is corrupted,” Connor answered tersely, and it left it at that. Amal gave a low whistle and turned his head to Hank, “This isn’t your android, is it?”

Hank opened and closed his mouth and he flinched under the technician’s gaze, “No…I found him in Ocean City.”

“And I assume he already had all this damage when you found him?” Amal questioned as his eyes were drawn back to Connor’s legs. He ran his hands over the navy-blue splotches on the hard plastic. 

"The Lieutenant is not responsible for this damage. I was deactivated in the ocean," Connor stated before Hank could even begin to think of a response.

“That would explain the water damage. But I want to know what this blue stuff is. It isn’t organic, like algae or anything? I’ve never seen an android’s chassis react like this when their legs are malfunctioning.”

“Stand back,” Connor instructed, and Amal hastily stood up and scrambled back. Hank watched in interest and curiosity as Connor pressed his legs together. There was a pause, no one even dared to breathe. Connor’s eye was focused intently on its legs. There was a weird, grinding sound and right before their eyes Connor’s legs began to change. It was subtle, and if both Amal and Hank weren’t staring closely at the legs, they wouldn’t have noticed the way they seamlessly molded together. The blue splotches tried to fill in over the bare casing, but it only made the transition look unnatural, the blue moved like gel in a lava lamp and made Hank nauseous to look at.

Finally, Connor let out a sigh, “I cannot form a full tail apparatus, I apologize.”

Amal gave him an amazed look, “You’re a…mermaid android? What the fuck, dude?! An RK800 mermaid? I’ve never heard of that in my life!”

Connor’s lips down-turned into a frown and Hank almost thought the android looked uncomfortable given the circumstances. But that was probably just him being tired and projecting something onto a machine that couldn’t feel shit. Hank stood up, “I really appreciate what you’ve done, Amal. But I don’t think you’ll be able to fix it. So, if you don’t mind just leaving us-?”

Amal let out a breath and his shoulders slumped, “Agh, sorry. I might’ve gotten too excited. Can I stay for just a little longer?”

Hank glanced towards Connor, who wasn’t looking his way. It either avoided his look or just didn’t care either way because it’s an android. Hank rubbed his face with a long sigh, “I’m sorry, but I need to get some sleep tonight. I’ll pay you for some blue blood, but that’s all we need right now.”

He looked devastated, but Hank didn’t have the patience to deal with the inquisitive man right now. That and he wasn’t sure if he wanted someone fiddling around with Connor. Not that it was _his_ android in the first place, he would…just feel better if someone at CyberLife messed with it instead.

“Alright man. But it’s on the house, just because you showed me something I’ll never get to see again. I’ll leave two bottles of thirium,” Amal pulled out two containers of blue liquid and set them down on the bed. He cast a disappointed look towards Connor, who stared back with a blank expression. “Make sure you tell whoever repairs you that your elbow socket is fucked. You’ll need a total replacement.”

Connor gave him a stiff nod and Amal moved towards Hank. He put out his hand to shake and Hank quickly reciprocated. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help more, man. Best to get to CyberLife as soon as possible unless you want him to shut down. Thirium will only do so much until he’s irreparable.”

Hank gave him a stricken look but nodded stiffly. Amal smiled apologetically, before he left. Hank cast a worried look towards Connor but decided to leave the android alone for a moment to go make sure Cole was alright. His son will always be his priority, no matter what. And he left him in there for way too long. Hank just didn’t want Cole to have to see Connor like he was. At least now the android was functioning decently.

Hank knocked on the bathroom door before he entered. He peered inside and saw that Cole had holed himself up in the bathtub, the shower curtain drawn around his small body. Hank felt more guilt as he moved closer to the child. He was scared, it was clear to see. Cole probably thought Connor really did die.

“Hey baby. I’m sorry I sent you away. But Connor is fine now. The repairman gave him some blue blood which made him feel a little better,” He explained as he crouched in front of the tub. Cole sniffled and looked at Hank, tears trailed down his round face. Hank reached over and gently hauled his son out of the tub. He lifted the boy up into his arms, letting Cole wrap his tiny arms around Hank’s neck. He rubbed Cole’s back softly and carried him into the main room so he could get him ready for bed. 

“See look, Connor is fine.” Hank nodded towards the android and Cole looked over with his bleary eyes. Connor still didn’t look that great, but it let out a small smile and nodded once at Cole. “Everything is fine. I am working at optimal capacity.”

Hank knew that was a fucking lie as he stared down Connor but said nothing as he went and sat Cole down on the bed. “Let’s get your pajamas on, kid. You need some sleep, I bet you’re tired.”

Cole nodded and rubbed at his eyes, before he turned his baby blues back to Connor. The android didn’t seem to notice the attention as it hunched over itself. “Is he really okay, daddy?”

Hank could hear the worry in his son’s voice, and he couldn’t find it in himself to tell Cole that Connor seemed to be in bad condition. It seemed that Hank couldn’t head off the attachment Cole had felt towards the android, and now he was stuck with the consequences of it.

“For now, but we have to get to Detroit tomorrow for his sake. I promise he’ll be fine,” Hank tried to reassure his son as he began to undress the tyke and helped him into his pajamas. Once he was dressed, Hank picked him up again and pulled the comforter back on the bed. The blanket was stiff and unyielding, but he managed to get it back far enough to sit Cole down on the sheets. “Get some sleep. Connor isn’t going anywhere and I’m not either.” He tucked Cole in and kissed his forehead.

Hank turned off the lamp next to the bed, plunging the room into near total darkness. The only light source came from the crack in the drawn curtains. Hank stumbled over to the chair he had been sitting in earlier and plopped down into it with a big sigh. He splayed his arms out and studied Connor silently. The android hadn’t moved, and Hank could see its LED on the other side casting a soft yellow glow. Yellow meant bad right? Usually their LEDs were supposed to be blue?

“Can you really not remember how you got lost in the ocean? Or who your owner was before?” Hank whispered. There was a long stretch of silence, so long that he almost thought Connor didn’t hear him. But it shifted until it faced him slightly, "Memory corruption is known to induce short-term cognitive instability, but the circumstantial probability of this scenario is highly unlikely."

Hank gawked Connor, eyebrows furrowed as he processed what the android said to him. Once he sort of understood through his muddled brain, he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He couldn’t begin to think about how long Connor must have been out there, powered down and drifting aimlessly in the ocean. Or even worse, just sitting on the bottom while no one remembered it. How much damage it must have sustained, or that its owner never wanted to find it.

After a few moments of silence, Hank spoke again, “how much damage did you really sustain? Are they gonna be able to fix you?”

He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer to the question, just what Amal said had him on edge about the whole thing. Hank hadn’t grown attached to Connor, but it didn’t stop him from being worried for it. For Cole’s sake. It felt like cruel irony. For them to rescue Connor, only for him to die before ever getting the repairs it needed.

“I am…unsure. I am unable to diagnose the scope of the damage. Probability of chassis deterioration is unknown. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”

“Agh, no. Connor, Cole and I are both worried about you. I just want to make sure that you aren’t going to die on us before we get to Detroit,” Hank explained in an exasperated tone. The android was more worried about how it couldn’t report to Hank than its own injuries. If that didn’t scream machine, Hank wasn’t sure what did.

Another thing had been weighing on Hank’s mind, something that he had been avoiding till just now. He was too concerned for Connor himself, but didn’t get to ask about it being a supposed mermaid version of an RK800. He didn’t really know much about police androids, especially this newer model. But there was no reason to have it be a mermaid, was there?

“Why are you a mermaid?” He questioned curiously.

Connor doesn’t seem offended about the question, even though Hank is basically asking it why it was built this way. It wasn’t its own creator, and probably had little to no idea because of its ‘memory corruption’. Hank didn’t think about that until after the question had already left his mouth.

“Is this an interrogation, Lieutenant? Am I a suspect in a murder?” Connor asked, which left Hank speechless. Was the thing…joking? Did Connor just crack a joke? Hank wasn’t sure if he should laugh or just stare at it. A small snort left his mouth.

“I cannot say, in all honesty. I do not know much more than you do at this point in time. I know my model, but I do not know my purpose. I am sure that can be repaired when we arrive at CyberLife,” It responded.

They both lapsed into an awkward yet comfortable silence. Well it was for Hank at least. The sound of the rain outside plus the wheezing air conditioner made him feel right at home. He could remember when Vickie and he stayed at crappy motels like this on the way to Ocean City. They were fond memories, every single one. He missed her a lot sometimes, especially at points like this. Where everywhere he seemed to look, he was reminded of her.

“What are you thinking about, lieutenant?” Connor interrupted his peaceful thoughts and his eyebrows knitted together.

“Why are you asking?”

“Your heart-rate decreased an alarming amount. I assumed whatever you were thinking about was quite serene,” It told him, and Hank rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “It’s nothing. Just thinkin’ about nothing.”

“I apologize if I brought up something off limits. That was not my intention,” Connor’s voice sounded almost sincere, but Hank was probably just too exhausted and imagining things.

“Nah, it’s okay. But I think I’ll hit the hay,” Hank responded as he stood up and popped his sore back. Connor watched him carefully, his good eye didn’t leave his form as Hank walked up to the android. “Do you want to sit here, or do you want to sit in the chair?” Hank grabbed the discarded sweatshirt on the bed and pulled it down over Connor’s head once again to at least give it some kind of coverage. Even if he was lacking parts anyways.

Connor glanced over at the chair Hank had been sitting in prior, before back up at Hank, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I will sit in the chair.”

Hank blew out his breath in irritation. All that it thought about was him and Cole, but never itself. Is this what it was like to have an android? Hank was extremely glad he never invested in one because while they were helpful in some respects, it just felt wrong. That the android would put his needs in front of its own. It was a hard pill to swallow, and difficult to get past.

“Right, do you need help?” Hank asked, and without waiting for an answer, reached forward and slipped his hands underneath Connor’s arms. The android stiffened up at his touch, but since he already knew that Connor would refuse help, he wasn’t going to chance it. His muscles protested at the sudden exertion, having already been worked to the bone today. He hauled Connor to its feet and helped it limp over to the chair. 

Once it sat in the chair, repositioning itself, Hank nodded once and turned away. He expected a ‘thank you’, but the android remained eerily silent. Maybe it wasn’t programmed with something like that? Hank shook his head with a huff and began to unbutton his shirt. He shucked off his leather jacket and then the sweaty fabric and threw them to the ground. As he climbed into the bed and settled down next to Cole, he began to realize how tense he had really been. His body began its slow unwind, and he practically melted into the hard mattress. 

What a hell of a day, he thought with a large yawn. Shutting down any thoughts that tried to probe their way into his head, he began to drift off to sleep. 

As his exhaustion won out, he swore he heard Connor whisper, “Thank you, lieutenant.” But it was probably just his mind playing tricks on him.


End file.
